-- having been in all these accidents before - #2 hurt the most by far - in my instance the door caught me but the momentum threw me over the top of the door so not only did I smash into a door I got to enjoy the drop from the top of the door to the ground on the other side - don't get doored --
How to Not Get Hit by Cars
31–40 of 262 posts
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#32[deleted]
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#33Lets get cars out of cities. No car in the city centre no car hitting bicycles and pedestrians. Clean air less noise.
Problem for elderly and sick people who need cars to get around.
Easy exemptions.
And if people start abusing that, at least their relatives or random elderly people get out and about for more sightseeing!
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#34Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#35Am important tip that want mentioned in here. At any even slightly risky maneuvers like the ones described, I stand up in the pedals and move my head to make obvious eye contact with the driver. Something about the exaggerated head movement seems to be really effective at getting people to pay attention. I guess we're all just hardwired to notice when someone notices us.
That said, many accidents happen when driver look absentmindedly "through" a cyclist, who assumes they were noticed by the driver. It looks like the driver looks at the cyclist from the cyclists point of view, but the driver had their attention scanning for other types of traffic.
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#36Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are plenty of old cycle paths on sidewalks in Germany. Often it's safer to be on the road instead.
Are there? Do you mean the designated cycle path which are adjecant to the sidewalk using the same material as the sidewalk, but in different colour (red)? Correct me if I'm wrong, but bycicles are forbidden to ride on the actual sidewalk (Bürgersteig, Gehweg) by adults.
I mean dedicated "cycle paths" that are not a "benutzungspflichtiger Radweg" (sign 237), but are legal to cycle on. They usually are on the same level as the sidewalk and only visually distinct in some form. They were typically constructed in the sixties or seventies, are too narrow to overtake or use with a cargo bike, and suffer from the same visibility problems that illegally cycling on the sidewalk has.
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#37These are all excellent tips that make you think about situations on the road that are riskier than you may think. The recommendations about having lights front and back, using a reflective vest and not riding on the sidewalks are very practical
Also wear high vis gloves so when you signal intent to do something it's very visible.
Similar: put reflexes on hands and feet. Much more effective for showing drivers what you're doing than e.g. a reflex vest which is very inexpressive.
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#38In Japan cars have the lowest priority on the road, even if the bicycle is doing illegal stuff. You will experience drivers here stopping even if you are still far from the crossing once they see you approaching it.
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#39That's not riding a bike which is dangerous it is riding in the same zones as cars as the article points out. May people say we shouldn't trust anyone to carry guns, but we allow anyone to drive a car, that's at least as much dangerous.
All the examples of the articles are good, but there are two many to learn and remember. I follow one and only one rule when I ride my bike. Assume you can get killed at every time and do not trust anything.
Sometime I see people wanting to turn left, raising their left hand and then turning without never looking backward to check if the following car is not trying to pass them. These people are crazy and want to die. Always look backward before doing anything else or if a car is approaching.
Many people assume that as a bike rider they have rights and as a result they should be respected by cars, and end up in dangerous situations because of that. Do not trust anything if you want to stay alive
Re: How to Not Get Hit by Cars
#40I've been commuting by bicycle for nearly 40 years, under a broad array of circumstances, and the article's advice checks out with my own personal rules.
Although the vast majority of the crashes and wipeouts I've suffered involved no cars, just me losing control.
However, over hundreds of wipeouts accumulated over a lifetime of cycling, I have never hit my head! Wiping out is a skill. A skill best cultivated when one is young and pliable, and a skill that has served me very well across a broad array of risky activities.